Atwal fulfilled his childhood dream, becoming the only Indian to win a place on the elite U.S. PGA tour, with a seventh place finish in the 2004 qualifying tournament on Monday.

"I feel on top of the world," he said.

"But it took time to sink in," Atwal said by phone from Bangkok, where he will aim to end the year as the Asian tour's money list champion in the Volvo Masters starting on Thursday.

"I'd rushed to the airport straight from the Panther Lake course and on the plane I was tired and sleepy. Only when I woke up, did I realise what I'd just achieved."

Atwal, 30, said making it through qualifying school was harder than his victories in this year's Malaysian Open and the 2002 Singapore Masters, both European tour events.

It was only in October at the WGC-American Express championships in Georgia, where he finished 48th, that Atwal started to believe he could compete with the best.

"I was lucky to play with some great players in the tournament," he said. "The first day I was paired with Chris DiMarco and the second my partners were Rich Beem and Ben Curtis, both Major champions.

"That day I hit the ball better than either of them and beat them both. I felt I had it in me to be on their tour."

Atwal, who last month became the first player in Asian tour history to move past $1 million in career earnings, says his excitement was not because of the money up for grabs in America.

"More than how much I'm going to make, it's about belonging to the best circuit in the world. As a professional player, that's what pumps me up more than anything else."

BIG CHALLENGE

Atwal knows things are only going to get tougher.

"There's no use getting a card and not being able to keep it," he said. "To retain your card you have to either be consistent through the year or win an event.

"I want to do both."

Before that, however, there is the matter of the Asian tour's Order of Merit title to be settled at the Bangkok Golf Club.

Atwal, who has made $282,194 this season, currently leads by $31,600 from China's Zhang Lian-wei, the only man who can overtake him.

"The Asian tour is my first priority right now," he said. Winning the title would give him a direct entry to next year's British Open.

"I've not played on this course before and did not feel up to a practice round today. But I'll just tee it up straight in the tournament and give it my best shot. I hate to lose."

Born into a wealthy family of miners and builders, Atwal started playing golf aged 14 at the Royal Calcutta Golf Club.

Dreams of a professional career started only after he moved to the Clarke High School in Long Island, where home was just 15 minutes from Bethpage Black, venue of last year's U.S. Open.

A few near misses early on earned him the tag of Indian golf's "nearly man", but Atwal broke free at the Indian Open in 1999 and won six titles in the next four years.

His heroics this week have finally capped the most successful career so far by an Indian golfer.

"I believe I can get a lot better and even win a Major one day," Atwal said.

Like they say on the PGA tour, "Anything's possible."